Comprehensive Description of Persian Ta‘ārof
摘要
Learning Ta‘ārof as an Iranian complex linguistic and cultural phenomenon is quite challenging for foreign, to the point that incompetency in Ta‘ārof may sometimes lead to miscommunication. A review of Teaching Persian as a Foreign Language (TPFL) textbooks shows that no comprehensive description has been provided for Ta‘ārof to be systematically incorporated in the lesson plans. This chapter has described Ta‘ārof situations, speech acts, and linguistic representations relying on native Persian speakers usages. The data explored in this research is taken from Kalantari (Vakavi-ye Ta‘arofat-e Irani bara-ye Estefade dar Amuzesh-e Zaban-e Farsi be Qeyr-e Farsizabanan Bar Asas-e Ruykard-e Ertebati (An exploration of Iranian Ta‘arof in teaching persian as a foreign language on the basis of communicative approach). Shahid Beheshti University “Linguistics” dissertation, 2019) and the theoretical framework is Koutlaki’s politeness and Ta‘ārof (Pragmatics 34(12):1733–1756, 2002). Basically, eight popular Ta‘ārof situations are distinguished: conversation onset; reception and participation; request and enquiry; acknowledgment; empathy; donation and receiving gifts, services, goods, etc.; states and actions; and conversation closure. Samples of speech acts used in each situation are also provided. For example, the most common speech acts in a reception situation may include welcoming, inviting, offering (food, drinks, and seat), apologizing (for the imperfection of one’s hospitality/the trouble(s) caused for the host/guest), and thanking for the service/visit. Regarding linguistic representations of Ta‘ārof, it was observed that some of the most common linguistic devices used are euphemistic/formal and metaphorical elements, formal/honorific pronouns, oath words, and formal variants of frequently used verbs. It was also suggested to include samples of Ta‘ārof utterances when teaching imperative, optative, exclamative, declarative, and interrogative (including negative interrogation) moods. The study is a step toward providing a guideline for TPFL teachers and textbook authors and enables them to systematically include different aspects of Ta‘ārof in their lesson plans.